From the Editor

Gulf Fixation

Six months ago, Hurricane Katrina had just crossed the tip of
Florida and nicked Alabama before plowing head-on into Mississippi
and Louisiana. Just six months ago — a short time,
relatively, but for those directly affected, it must feel like a
time without end.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported in late December that
"the scope of human suffering inflicted by Hurricane Katrina in the
United States has been greater than that of any hurricane to strike
this country in several generations." As of late December, some
1,336 individuals had died from causes attributable to the storm,
while more than 4,000 people were still reported missing. Thousands
of homes and businesses comprising entire neighborhoods were
destroyed by flood in New Orleans, and Katrina's surge struck the
Mississippi coastline with such ferocity that entire communities
were obliterated. Over half a million homes were damaged in the
region. The NHC predicts that many of the most severely impacted
communities will take years to rebuild.

Six months later, we are barely into that rebuilding. Only now is
much of the information about what happened coming to light. From
this, we are just beginning to understand what might — and
what must — be done to avoid such losses in the future. With
that goal in mind — bringing clarity as to what building
practices best protect coastal homes everywhere from damage and
loss — Coastal Contractor will continue to devote coverage to
rebuilding the Gulf throughout 2006. In this issue, Ted Cushman
initiates our special feature coverage with an account of lessons
learned that he gathered while lending a hand in the recovery in
September. In Breakline, Aaron Hoover covers the risks of working
in flooded homes in New Orleans and reports on the Mississippi
Renewal Forum's efforts to gather information from local residents
to aid in long-term redevelopment. One of the successes coming out
of that forum led to key home-design insights, as I report in the
Design column, in this issue.

No one will feel the strain inflicted by these storms as much as
the hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced and
whose lives have been so

disrupted. But we have all been touched by, and still have a great
deal to learn from, this storm's far-reaching effects. —
Clayton DeKorne